After losing badly to President Bush in 2004, there was plenty of soul searching in the Democratic party  but they didnt choose compromise with the president or his agenda.

After winning re-election, Bush thought he had the political capital he needed to push forward major reforms. Let me put it to you this way: I earned capital in the campaign, political capital, and now I intend to spend it, Bush said to reporters. It is my style.

But even though Bush had a substantial majority in both Houses of Congress at first, Democrats successfully blocked nearly all of his second term agenda even before their party took power in Congress in 2006.

Bushs first item of his agenda was Social Security reform. That quickly died after Democrats whipped up a frenzied reaction, scaring most Republicans away from the issue.

Bushs energy plan passed, but Democrats defeated one of the key components of that bill to block drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Republicans acquiesced to tax credits for clean energy and promoted ethanol.

Bushs tax reform agenda  planning to make his 2001 tax credits permanent and repeal the estate tax  fell through the floor.

Even Bushs nominee for the ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, failed to get a vote on the Senate floor, forcing Bush to make it a recess appointment.

Bushs immigration effort fell short in the spring of 2006. Republicans resisted on one side, and on the other, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Democrats refused to grant him any capital on issue as the[y] solidified their inroads with Hispanic voters.

Bushs only major legislative success was successfully continuing the war in Iraq and reauthorizing the Patriot Act until Democrats took power in the 2006 elections. From there on, Bush was nearly impotent.

President Obama is already facing similar challenges.

Obama will tackle Republicans signature issue with the upcoming battle of the fiscal cliff fight. House Republicans wouldnt survive without this major issue in their quiver, so they might push back harder than the president expects. Obama already has a hurricane cleanup  which he has handled reasonably well thus far  but needs to finish the job before he pursues any further legislation.

Democrats may feel empowered now that Obama was re-elected, but its possible that they may split with the president, if he asks them to jump off of the fiscal cliff.

On immigration, it is unlikely that Obama will pursue anything more serious than the DREAM act, which may get the support of enough nervous Republicans to pass.

Pundits will declare that the election requires some serious soul searching from Republicans, calling them to abandon their low-tax and limited government platform. But which is more likely to succeed? Will Republicans drop their resistance to the presidents controversial fiscal policies?

By 2006, Democrats swept into power on Bushs ineffectiveness, the war in Iraq, and Social Security fears.

Expect Republicans to dig in on their signature issues and block the president as Democrats did. By the time the 2014 mid-terms arrive, expect the party to emerge with a principled  but re-tooled  political narrative for Obamas second mid-term elections, in which both the Senate map and history will favor them.

All the Democrats have to do is find a black person or an Hispanic person and run them in 2016. Instant winner. The Republicans won’t win another national election until things are trashed beyond repair.

When have they ever, in recent history?? I cannot stomach hearing Dear Leader blather on about “working together.” Uh, anyone remember how the Reps were literally locked out of the Obamacare plotting? Peter Johnson Jr. was on F&F this morning talking about how this is a second chance for Dear Leader and we should reach out to work with him in return. I wanted to vomit.

One thing I think I learned last night about 2010 is that politics are definitely local. A lot of us expected more this year after 2010. We were wrong. 2010 showed that we are strong in our states. Period. We can control one or both houses of Congress and thus handcuff any Marxist president. The White House ain't gonna happen again; but if we can keep our senators and congresscritters we can at least slow down the downward spiral.

However, Boehner, McConnell and others of their ilk have to play hardball the way the 'rats do. Failure to do so led the loss of both houses in the 2006 midterms. Stay the course, and we can strengthen out numbers. Sell us out and we're done with each other.

I want to see Republicans in Congress treat Democrats like Democrats in Congress treat Republicans. Ignore the howls of protest and just document how every action is an equal and opposite reaction... and maybe not even both with that.

9
posted on 11/07/2012 9:59:08 AM PST
by kevkrom
(If a wise man has an argument with a foolish man, the fool only rages or laughs...)

I want to see Republicans in Congress treat Democrats like Democrats in Congress treat Republicans. Ignore the howls of protest and just document how every action is an equal and opposite reaction... and maybe not even bother with that.

10
posted on 11/07/2012 9:59:14 AM PST
by kevkrom
(If a wise man has an argument with a foolish man, the fool only rages or laughs...)

And Harry Reid put out the word a couple of days ago that there would have been no cooperation with a Romney agenda in the Senate.

Robert Gibbs on Fox last night [when he knew Obama's reelection was in the bag] said Republicans would have to cooperate with the president. Oh, and we also need to knock off saying Obama is a socialist.

I want to see Republicans in Congress treat Democrats like Democrats in Congress treat Republicans. Ignore the howls of protest and just document how every action is an equal and opposite reaction... and maybe not even bother with that.

Let them exercise their conservative muscles. Also, the Right needs to learn to get the conservative message out -- the Left will only scream GOP gridlock. Time to take the bull horn away from the state media and learn how to lead.

In 2 years we'll see if Conservatism can take the Senate. The base is dispirited now. Give them this cause to run with.

They’ve run “Bush’s fault” into the ground (though a depressingly high number of people still blame him for Obama’s failures), so everything that goes wrong is because of an “obstructionist GOP House”.

If they’re going to get tarred with the label anyway, might as well earn it.

But they won’t. They’ll keep the same “leadership” and compromise their way to irrelevance. They’d rather do that than stand up for principle (and their constituents). Gotta keep getting invited to the “right” parties, you know.

14
posted on 11/07/2012 10:17:32 AM PST
by kevkrom
(If a wise man has an argument with a foolish man, the fool only rages or laughs...)

The system is broken, corrupt, and unconstitutional at this point and we shouldn't be working within it. We have legitimate options of working outside the system to achieve the revolutionary sized change we will need to salvage anything good that this country was built on.

We shouldn't even be asking the question of whether to compromise or not. It doesn't matter what democrats did in 2004. We should not be considering if we should compromise with unconstitutional liberalism.

Personal accountability is not something the Left wants to discuss (In their president or their base). Anyone who has struggled up the ladder, and through hard work and good choices becomes “wealthy,” and who stands up and asks others to work and do like-wise, is demonized and smeared. The Left appeals to the worst in people and encourages jealousy and revenge for their lot in life (failure that has been nurtured by the Left).

Don't worry McCain and Graham will rush across the aisle to get things done like amnesty and tax hikes,and of course the president has the right to have his court nominees rubber stamped even if their names are Al Sharpton and Gus Hall.In the House boner will shed some tears and get snookered into another great strategy like sequestration where defense is cut to the bone but funding is increased for obama phones and Muslim immigration programs to make more America diverse. The republicans think they must become a second socialist party to survive and will fight to the death against conservatives but they will lay down and surrender to the democrats to get things done. When Reagan won in 1980 the elites in the republican party vowed that no upstart conservative would ever hijack their party again so we got Bush I,Dole,Bush II,McCain and Romney. All of them had big money in the primaries supported by the party establishment.They all disdained conservatism and we were told would appeal to women and independents so if we want to win the election we had to be on board.Well the results are in and it didn't work.I'll bet that they already are in the back room grooming the next moderate who will appeal to women and independents and lining up the donors to front load the primaries again. The boys in congress have already been told not oppose the obama agenda too much lest they be seen as extreme and ruin Mr. Moderate Nominee 2016's chances with independent and female voters.It's not going to change folks. 2016 will be the same as 2012,2008,1996 etc.

The American people have given President Obama a chance to start over. He can take steps this time to govern responsibly. He can work with, not against, Republicans in Congress and governors around the nation. He can put an end to his reckless disregard for our rule of law and spare our nation another long, painful and expensive four years for American families, taxpayers and employers.

We must hold his and Congress feet to the fire to once and for all cut spending, repeal Obamacare and withdraw federal encroachment into state decision-making and personal liberties. Our nations long-term prosperity and security absolutely depends on it.

Meanwhile, states have the opportunity to pave the way for Washington by promoting common-sense policies of smaller government, lower taxes and restrained spending that create jobs and prosperity for their citizens.

I commend Mitt Romney and his entire campaign team for a disciplined, focused and hard-fought race. Anita and I wish him, Ann and his team all the best. - Texas Gov. Rick Perry [Nov 7, 2012]

Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.